Senior Spotlight: Morgan Pytlak, Penn State Fayette
Welcome to our Senior Spotlight series. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the PSUAC had to cancel its fall and winter sport seasons. This prevented several student-athletes from receiving a proper senior day and minimized opportunities for Player of the Week awards. In its place, we will highlight seniors from around the conference throughout the remainder of the semester.
See more Senior Spotlight highlights on our Twitter (@psuac) and Instagram (psuac)!
Name: Morgan Pytlak
Campus: Fayette
Primary Sport: Volleyball
Primary Position(s): Outside Hitter
Hometown: Rillton, PA
High School: Yough
Major: Nursing
Academic Achievements: USCAA National All-Academic 2018, 2019 Fayette Pi Sigma Phi Honor Society
Athletic Achievements: USCAA DII Third Place 2018; USCAA DII National Champions 2019; PSUAC Conference Champions 2018, 2019; John Fritz Sportsmanship Award 2019
How did your Penn State education prepare you for life after graduation? My Penn State education has prepared me to enter the frontlines as a nurse after graduation. I am excited and grateful to be able to serve my community as a healthcare worker.
How do you hope to be remembered by teammates and coaches? I hope to be remembered as the player who always gave it her all, pushed her team, and made everyone laugh while they were doing it.
What is your favorite memory from playing your sport at Penn State? My favorite memory from playing volleyball at Penn State would have to be winning Nationals in 2019.
What is the best advice you ever received from a coach or teammate that you would share with other student-athletes? The best advice I’ve received from my coach is that you practice how you play. I know this is an old line, but it really holds true over the years. You can’t expect yourself or your team to elevate their play without recognizes that the hours at practice will only be beneficial if you’re practicing how you play.
What are you most looking forward to post graduation? Or in your transition to University Park (or other campus) to finish your degree? I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life, working as a nurse and hopefully continuing my coaching career.
What are some of the tools or skills that you learned through all the years of playing your sport that you plan to instill once you enter the workforce? Volleyball has taught me a lot of things over my nine years of play. It has taught me how to be a team player, how to listen, how to express myself, how to work hard, and how to be someone others can count on and look to for advice or help. All of these attributes will be utilized once I enter the workforce.
What impact did athletics have on your experience as a college student? What is your favorite memory outside of athletics during your time as a student-athlete? Athletics absolutely made me college experience. Being a commuter campus, I went around a lot of my friends besides practice, games, and weekend trips. However my favorite memory outside of athletics would have to be last February when I was lucky enough to represent Penn State Fayette as a THON dancer.
Please use this space to thank anyone you wish to acknowledge for their support during your academic and athletic career. I want to thank all of my professors, coaches, my athletic trainer, athletic director and assistant athletic director. They are an amazing group of people to work alongside and to be influenced by. They truly care about you and your well being at Penn State Fayette. I want to thank them all for making the Eberly Campus my home for the last four years, and for welcoming me into the Fayette Family.